Progression
by Cabenson
Summary: Charting the progression from friendship to romance
1. Default Chapter

'One more to go.' Olivia thought as she added the file she had just reviewed to a towering pile stacked on the chair next to her desk. Her partner had already left for the day and she had promised him that she wouldn't spend her evening at the stationhouse again. She opened up the final folder and began reading the rap sheet on a potential suspect in a string of rapes that had occupied the Special Victims Unit for the past three weeks. She had almost completed her task when her cell phone rang.  
  
"Benson"  
  
"Hello, Detective." The husky voice in her ear made her smile as she closed the file and sat back in her chair.  
  
"Good afternoon, ADA Cabot. What can I do for you?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sure I could think of a few things", the blonde replied, her tone carrying an air of suggestion. You could wash my car, or paint my kitchen if you'd like." Olivia laughed as Alex continued. "Actually, I was wondering if you could help me out with something for the Rudd case tonight after work."  
  
Amused with the flirtatious way Alex had asked her to give up her evening, Olivia considered telling the attorney that she already had a date for the night, but that Alex was more than welcome to try again. The truth was that Olivia enjoyed spending time with the younger woman, so she agreed without hesitation. "Sure Alex, what do you need?"  
  
"I've been prepping Glenn Rudd to testify against his foster mother for the last two days. Huang said that I needed to place Glenn in an environment where he felt safe so I thought I would do a run through with him in an empty courtroom. Petrovsky is letting me use hers and I was hoping you could tag along in case there is any problem."  
  
Olivia grinned as she said, "You mean 'problem' as in Glenn throwing Petrovsky's chair across the room, right?"  
  
Alex stifled a small chuckle. "Yeah, well that too. Come on, Olivia! I'll even throw in dinner afterward.  
  
"Well, I guess I can clear my calendar to help you out. But about this dinner thing. You're not gonna try to cook again, are you?" Olivia knew this would get a rise out of her friend. They had spent an evening on the phone a few weeks back that had ended with Alex calmly stating that she needed to hang up because the soup she was warming up was on fire. Olivia found the otherwise competent attorney's issues with domesticity a constant source of entertainment and she refused to let the incident fade away.  
  
"Damn it, Olivia! Let it go already! I was considering taking you to that new pizza place you've wanted to try. Now you'll be lucky if I buy you a pretzel from the cart outside the subway entrance." Alex teased back.  
  
"Okay, okay. I'll quit. For now. God, the things I do for food. All right, tell me when and where to meet you.  
  
"Outside Petrovsky's courtroom at 7:00. I'll see you then. Oh, and thanks Olivia. I really appreciate this."  
  
Olivia smiled as she said, "You're welcome. See you soon."  
  
The detective closed her cell phone and shook her head in mock disbelief. The things she did to spend time with Alex Cabot. She ran her fingers through her short, brunette hair and walked over to the beverage table to get a cup of coffee. Olivia and Alex had forged a strong friendship in the past year. None of the squad members had been overly impressed when the ADA was first assigned to their unit, especially Olivia's partner, Elliot Stabler. Elliot had referred to Alex as an "ambitious, arrogant bitch" and in turn she considered him a "patronizing ass." Olivia had spent the better part of the past year bridging a peace between her partner and the prosecutor. The working relationship between Elliot and Alex had progressed with time, as had her personal friendship with the blonde. The nature of that friendship had recently taken an unexpected turn and Olivia was hoping that the topic could be approached tonight. The detective checked the time and flipped the last file onto the stack. She called for a clerk to retrieve the folders, grabbed her coat and left the station house to meet Alex and Glenn.  
  
Two hours later, Olivia was sitting in the back row of the galley watching Alex guide Glenn through the courtroom in preparation for his testimony the next day. She was amazed at the way Alex had replaced her smug, brash "I'm here to kick your ass so don't even bother sitting down" work persona with one that was soft-spoken, protective and reassuring to her witness. The ADA needed Glenn's statement in order to ensure a murder conviction against Dorothy Rudd, but she made sure the boy understood that if it got to be too much, or he no longer wanted to testify, he didn't have to. Olivia was surprised to hear this. She had seen Alex, and several other ADAs as well, manipulate shaky witnesses with guilt or weak promises of justice to get them on the stand. Not this time. This was the Alex who had been invading her thoughts repeatedly for some time now.  
  
As Alex gave Glenn practice questions she felt the defense would ask, Olivia studied the beautiful blonde. The bond between the two women had taken on a new distinction in the past few months. Olivia had taken Alex out for drinks after the attorney had ended a short relationship with a fellow ADA. Olivia hadn't been surprised to hear that the relationship had been with another woman as rumors of Alex's sexual preferences had followed her to SVU. She had been surprised, however, to hear that the other woman was Abbie Carmichael, a prosecutor who handled a few SVU cases in between the departure of Liz Donnelly and Alex's arrival in the unit. Commiserating with Alex about dating in general, Olivia admitted that she had gone out with a woman before and found it to be an enjoyable experience until the demands of her job had interfered. Alex, having finished her third bourbon, drolly told Olivia that maybe the two of them should just shack up together and save society from any future emotional scarring. Olivia had responded that if she thought Alex was serious, she might consider doing just that. They had looked at each other, their eyes almost daring the other person to speak, until they both burst out laughing. They began adding flirtatious innuendo to their personal conversations and joked about "retirement plans". Then Olivia and Elliot caught the Eric Plummer case. Alex and Olivia argued when Olivia claimed Plummer was stalking her. When Olivia refused to speak with Elliot after killing Plummer in a hostage situation, Alex cleared her schedule and camped out at Olivia's door until the brunette finally let her in. They talked for hours and eventually fell asleep together, the blonde's arms wrapped around Olivia, on the sofa. A slight moment of awkwardness when they awoke was replaced with a relaxed comfort as Alex placed a gentle kiss on Olivia's forehead. Olivia had replayed that moment in her mind for several weeks and realized that her feelings for Alex had changed.  
  
It was time to do something about it.  
  
"Olivia", Alex said as she walked behind the bench where the detective was seated. There was no response from the brunette who appeared to be deep in thought. Alex snuck up behind the distracted woman and murmured sensually in her ear, "Olivia, I'm hungry." She stepped back with a laugh as the startled detective jumped.  
  
"Damn it Cabot! Don't do that, you scared the hell out of me." she said as a slow blush began rising up her neck.  
  
"Yeah, right! And exactly who were you thinking about so intently just now?" the blonde teased as she pulled her coat on.  
  
"Aw hell, Alex. You, of course." Olivia half-joked. She looked around and saw that only the two of them were in the courtroom. "I take it Glenn did okay and didn't toss anything around?"  
  
"Like you would have been any help if he had." Alex answered sarcastically. "He's on his way back to the center and Petrovsky's chair is safe. I think he'll be fine. Let's go. I really am hungry." Olivia grabbed her coat and followed Alex out of the courtroom wondering if she would find the courage to tell Alex how she felt. 


	2. Progression Chapter 2

"I can't believe we ate the whole pizza." Alex groaned as she handed the signed credit slip to the waiter and stood up to leave.  
  
Olivia finished the last of her beer and set the bottle down on the table. "Wait just a minute there Counselor. I believe I only had three pieces. You ate almost twice as much as me. Remember that when your heartburn kicks in." Olivia had long since gotten over her shock at the amount of food the slender attorney could put away while maintaining her figure.  
  
Alex gave the brunette her best courtroom glare until she could no longer hold back a grin. She enjoyed the time she spent with Olivia and although they both had an early morning she wasn't ready for the evening to end. "Come on, Detective." she said as they walked out into the late autumn night. "Care to escort a defenseless civil servant home?"  
  
"Is this why you spend time with me Cabot?" Olivia teased. "You get a cop to be your friend so you can turn them into your own protective detail?"  
  
"Everyone needs to feel protected at one time or another. I just thought that since we are only a few blocks way, we could save cab fare."  
  
Olivia slipped her arm around the attorney's shoulder and pulled the blonde closer. She lowered her voice in her best imitation of gallantry and whispered into Alex's ear, "Sure ADA Cabot. I'll walk you home."  
  
Alex put her own arm around Olivia's waist and looked deeply into the older woman's brown eyes. With a smirk planted on the edge of her mouth, she muttered, "My hero" as they began walking. She felt comfortable in such close proximity to the other woman. Realizing that Olivia's hand had slipped down to her waist, Alex leaned against the brunette, resting her head on the detective's strong shoulder. The smell of leather mixed with the warmth emanating from the beautiful woman next to her left Alex with a feeling of exhilaration. Olivia smiled as she pulled the blond closer. There was no need for conversation. The silence between the two of them spoke volumes.  
  
Twenty minutes later, they arrived in front of Alex's building. Alex pulled her arm from Olivia's waist and twisted in the brunette's grasp so that their foreheads were touching, their lips mere inches apart. "Thanks for being there tonight, Olivia. I really do appreciate it." she said softly.  
  
Olivia smiled. "Thank you for buying me pizza instead of a pretzel." She raised her head and looked into Alex's crystal blue eyes, completely captivated by their beauty. Alex met Olivia's gaze and smiled knowingly. This was no longer a casual moment filled with flirtatious banter and there would be no reprieve in the form of laughter. Alex pulled Olivia closer, her hand settling on the back of the brunette's neck. Running her fingers lightly through her companion's short dark hair, she tilted her head and brushed her lips against Olivia's. She pulled away from the embrace and looked at the pleasantly surprised woman standing in front of her. Olivia, not sure of what to say opened her mouth to speak only to be silenced by the touch of Alex's fingers on her lip.  
  
Alex leaned in closer to Olivia and whispered into her ear, "By the way, I ask you to do things with me because I enjoy being with you, Detective," she said as her fingers moved to trace Olivia's jaw line. "Of course, the fact that you carry a weapon is a plus." She gently kissed the brunette's cheek and stepped back. "Come to my place for dinner tomorrow night and we'll talk then." Olivia nodded her head in agreement and stood there smiling as the blonde turned and entered the building. 'What the hell just happened?' she thought as she walked to the corner and hailed a cab.  
  
The following day proved to be fairly non-productive for one distracted detective and her slightly irritated partner.  
  
"Elliot, what is your problem with admitting that a man could be raped by a woman?"  
  
Pushing away from his desk, Elliot stood up and headed toward the coffee maker. He wasn't in the mood for a fight. "It's just hard for me to believe that a man of his size couldn't fight off three petite women long enough to escape the situation. Now, a man built like Munch here, yeah that I could believe."  
  
Fin looked at his partner, and turned back toward Elliot. "Man, don't be putting those images in his mind. Now I'm gonna have to listen to his "three-on-one" fantasy shit for the rest of the night." He was about to add another comment when Cragen walked out of his office.  
  
"I just got a call from the medics at Riker's. Dorothy Rudd had a massive heart attack. She didn't make it." The detectives looked at each other in disbelief as they realized justice would never be served in the murder of Cassie Adams. The sound of brisk footsteps entering the room caused their heads to turn toward the doorway.  
  
"Who died?" Alex joked when she saw the solemn looks on the detectives' faces. The squad members took turns informing their ADA of the day's events. When the discussion turned toward the need to reunite Cassie's sisters with their mother, Alex said she would look into it and turned to leave. As she walked by Olivia's desk, she tapped the detective on the shoulder and silently motioned for her to follow. Telling her partner that she would be right back, Olivia met Alex outside the door.  
  
"What's up?" Olivia asked hoping that Alex wasn't going to cancel their plans for the evening.  
  
Alex looked at the brunette and smiled shyly as she said, "I just wanted a quick moment with you. Alone. Are you still okay with coming over tonight? I thought we could order from the Red Brick. I've been thinking about their cheeseburgers all day."  
  
Olivia laughed and tried to put a disappointed look on her face as she asked, "Is that all you had on your mind today, Cabot? Just food?" Olivia herself had been preoccupied with thoughts of the beautiful attorney all day. She had alternated between feelings of anticipation and anxiety about the conversation she and Alex would have tonight.  
  
"Yep, just the food." Alex teased. Leaning in closer so that only Olivia could hear, Alex added, "I can't seem to stop thinking about last night and I am really looking forward to this evening." She stepped back and grinned at the detective. "So, tonight?"  
  
"I'll be there at eight." Olivia said with a smile as she watched the ADA walk to the elevator. When the blonde disappeared behind closing doors, Olivia walked back into the squad room and sat at her desk.  
  
It was going to be an interesting evening. 


End file.
